22/05/2026
THE UNION...a marriage & family outreach with Rev. Dr. Isaac David ministering.
Topic: BE THE RIGHT SPOUSE
Text: Genesis 3:9-13
'And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'(vs.12,13)
I want to start this discussion with a teaser:
" If you were to choose again would you want to be married to the person that you are presently married to?"
Now, you don't need to make your answer public; just keep it to yourself
And you would not be judged harshly for your answer so long as you are truthful to yourself and the situation of your marriage.
However, if your answer is a No, it is my prayer that this discussion be a great help to you and your marriage.
From early times we discovered in the fallen nature of man the tendency to absolve oneself from blame; rather man thrives in pointing fingers at others, shifting blames, etc call it what you wish. Adam blamed his wife, Eve who in turn blamed the serpent!.
Since this is inherent in humans, many enter the institution of marriage presuming to always be the ones in the right and not or should I say, never their partner.
That would have been okay if it were truly so but we all know that not only are there no perfect marriages, there are also no perfect humans (no perfect husbands, no perfect wives).
The best way to resolve this which if we do we will most likely achieve huge and measurable successes in our relationships and marriages. And that is for
"EACH PARTNER TO STRIVE (WORK CONSCIENTIOUSLY) TOWARDS BEING THE RIGHT SPOUSE".
The underlisted though not exhaustive will go a long way in helping along this line:
1) Recognize and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses (1 Cor 10:12)
2) Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your spouse (1 Pet 3: 7, AMP ; Gen 2: 18).
3) Celebrate (or, emphasize) your spouse's strengths while encouraging him/her in their weak areas (Phil 2: 3, GNB ; Gal 6: 2, AMP).
4) Do not judge (blame, condemn) your spouse too quickly (Matt 7: 3-5 ; John 8: 7).
5) Be courageous and sincere enough to take responsibility for your missteps and wrongdoings (Ps 51: 1-17 ; Lk 15: 17-21).
6) Intentionally take positive actions towards making amends where you are wrong (Lk 19: 8)
7) Tame your ego (Ezek 28: 1,2 ; Gal 6: 3, AMP)
ego = ( the inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others; your consciousness of your own identity).
8) Work on your areas of weakness ( Joel 3: 8 ; 2 Cor 12: 10).
9) Remain vulnerable in relating with your spouse ( Eccl 4: 9-11).
It means:
- being exposed to the possibility of being harmed, attacked or hurt - either physically or emotionally.
- In relationships and mental health, it means being open about your feelings, taking an emotional risk, or allowing yourself to be hurt.
vulnerability is consciously choosing to NOT hide your emotions or desires from others.
that is, you just freely express your thoughts, feelings, desires and opinions regardless of what others might think of you.
10) Practice the same virtues you desire in your spouse ( Gal 6: 7).
CONCLUSION:
Without meaning it to be a cure-for-all medicine, being the right spouse is one secret to having our partners and marriages become what we desire them to be.
BEST WISHES!!!.
